Alachua, FL

Originally Posted on November 7, 2011 on www.emmergroupblog.com:

Here's Winnie- who would have thought she was so mistreated before she arrived!

Sometimes, good things do come out of bad situations. For example, imagine a horse named Winnie has been found by police to be abused, malnourished or mistreated and has no safe home to go to. A terrible situation, to say the least, but now let’s imagine a caring couple who decide to make a special retirement home for horses just like Winnie. That’s exactly what happened in the case of the Retirement Home for Horses at Mill Creek Farm.

Founded in the early 1980’s by Peter and Mary Gregory in Alachua, this nonprofit sanctuary adopts abused, neglected and old horses who are no longer fit for work and allows them to live out the rest of their days in a safe and work-free environment. Funded completely through donations and volunteers, the owners both live and work at the Retirement Home, devoting themselves full time to the 130 horses who reside there. Spanning over 265 acres of green pastures, the property is protected by a perpetual conservation easement which keeps the land free from development and 100% available to the horses.

To think how some of these animals lived before this was there home is so sad! But what a great place for them to end up!

This great place doesn’t come cheaply, however. In order to maintain all the care and treatment, each horse costs approximately $2,000 every year, and the facility as a whole comes out to about $275,000. This is why they rely so heavily on the kindness of strangers (like us!), to make sure they can keep this amazing service always running.

If you’re interested in helping out, you can volunteer or donate, or even sponsor a horse for $40 a month, which gives you regular access to your new friend to visit and love. You can even just come and spend some TLC with the horses, as the farm is open every Saturday from 11-3pm, with only a few carrots as admission!

So, next time you’ve got a down Saturday (football season doesn’t last forever!), and you’re looking for something to do, why not take a trip over to the Retirement Home at Mill Creek Farm and help show these noble beasts some great appreciation!

We have received many questions recently about the process of applying for a USDA Home Loan in Florida. What is the loan application process for Rural Development /USDA, how long does it take? Additionally, how long does the USDA closing process take, etc. We have outlined some clarification below to help –

The USDA mortgage application process is the first step. You need to find out if you eligible and qualified before anything else right? During this time your USDA loan specialist will talk about your needs and first determine if you and your family meet the USDA Rural Housing eligibility criteria. USDA eligibility requirements include location – are you looking for a house in a USDA approved area? Is your current household income below the allowable county limit for the USDA 502 guarantee program? Income limits are different in each Florida County, and depend on many different variables. Click here for more information about USDA income limits in Florida.

Once we determine you meet the USDA Rural Housing eligibility factors, we move on to qualifying. During the USDA qualifying process we look at credit, job history, debt to income ratios, etc. During this time we will determine how much home you qualify for assuming your credit score is sufficient. Once we complete the full USDA loan application, we will review and call you back the same day with a decision. The entire process to determine eligibility and USDA qualifying takes around 20 min. Wow, that was easy!

Ok, so you received your USDA home loan pre approval, congrats! What’s next you may ask? Start looking for that special home. Once you find the home and have a complete purchase contract, the USDA loan processing starts. The entire USDA processing, appraisal, inspection and closing process takes around 35-45 days to complete. The exact times depend on what Florida County your new home is located in. But on average the USDA closing time frame is around 40 days.

Call us at 904-302-6060 or visit our web site at www.UsdaMortgageSource.com for all the latest Rural Housing mortgage requirements.

USDA Mortgage Source is Florida’s local leader in 100% Rural Development home loans. Serving all of Florida 7 days week, including Gainesville FL, Archer FL, High Springs, Newberry FL, Alachua FL

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